Pathways for Promoting Macro Practice in Social Work Education: A Commentary

ABSTRACT

As we approach the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is time to move beyond the wake-up call provided by the 2013 Rothman Report on the future of macro practice and its perceived decline. While most of the report’s recommendations focused on the external environment related to recognition by national social work organizations and future enrollment targets (20% macro for entering MSW students), it is now timely to look internally to address our own issues. Faculty need to step back to assess their own capacities to integrate macro practice curriculum content, given the contracting “shelf space” of course offerings. This commentary explores three pathways to macro practice: 1) integrating community, management, and policy practice curricula, 2) re-positioning macro practice in the advanced practice curricula, and 3) revisiting the relationship between micro and macro practice related to the CSWE practice competencies. The commentary concludes with a future research agenda.

KEYWORDS:

• Macro practice
• curricular pathways
• curriculum integration
• micro-macro practice relationship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.